


March Of The Misfit Toys

by Cat (ActualBuckyBarnes)



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Bullying, Crushes, Depression, F/F, Ficlet, Fluff, Happy Ending, Humor, I REGRET NOTHING, M/M, Mentioned suicide, One-Shot, So much angst, The End Is All The Fluff, punk!phil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-03 22:28:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6629572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ActualBuckyBarnes/pseuds/Cat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Let's get one thing straight here; Dan was an outcast. He and his little ragtag group of 'friends', if that's what you'd call the group of misfits, were all socially unacceptable. And they were well used to this fact. They had been thrown together by the fact that they were outcasts.</p>
<p>-or- the one where Dan and his ragtag group of friends are suddenly approached by a well-meaning peer for the first time and have no fucking clue how to handle it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	March Of The Misfit Toys

Let's get one thing straight here; Dan was an outcast. He and his little ragtag group of 'friends', if that's what you'd call the group of misfits, were all socially unacceptable. And they were well used to this fact. They had been thrown together by the fact that they were outcasts.

There was Shane, who- even after dieting for a long time and dropping 200 lbs.- was still called 'fat' every day. 

There was Troye, who liked Nutella better than people, and guys more than girls. Because of this, and their poorly located school- trust me when I say that Missouri isn't known for its acceptance, Troye was instantly blacklisted as an outsider.

And there was Dan. The wallflower. Perfectly normal, if you asked Dan, for your mother to ground you after you pulled an Irish Exit during someone's 11th birthday party.

Then there were the cool kids. The kids who wouldn't look twice at "Fatso, Fag, and Freak," their most popular nickname. If you asked them, they were "The Misfit Toys," a rather badass name thought up by Dan.

"So, let me get this straight, Phil _Lester_ is coming our way?" Dan peered around Troye.

"Dude! Don't look, I heard he beat up a freshman for _looking_ at him the wrong way!" Troye hissed. Shane helped Troye to keep Dan down.

"He's fucking cute!" Dan defended himself, sitting down to avoid more kicks in the shin from Troye and more punches from Shane.

"He'll fucking beat our brains in," Shane pointed out.

"Any trouble over here?" An icy cold voice with a Northern accent asked.

"Uh, no," Shane stuttered. Phil narrowed his eyes, "Then you wouldn't mind if I sat here today?"

"Well, I wouldn't see why you'd want to-" Dan started to say, but faded off. He really wasn't used to talking to people other than Shane and Troye.

"Sit with you?" Phil smirked, "I do new things. It's a part of me. This is just about the only thing I haven't done."

"At least he's not going to kill us and bury our bodies," Shane let out a sigh of relief.

"What did you think I was going to do?" Phil almost laughed, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh- murder us in a violent, bloody display and hide our bodies in the woods so nobody suspects our disappearance for a week," Dan said like it was obvious.

"Oh, you're," Phil broke into laughter, "You're funny."

"Thanks?" Dan didn't know how to treat the newcomer.

"Okay, here's the thing," _Here we go_ , Dan thought.

"I find you really attractive." Phil's eyes bored into Dan's head. He jerked his head up. _Seriously_?

"Really?" Dan couldn't help the little gasp that came from his mouth.

"Yeah, you're pretty friggin' adorable. Would you like to go on a date sometime?" Phil raised an eyebrow at Dan.

"Well, if you're basing that all on looks," Dan thought out loud.

"Oh, no," Phil laughed, "I mean, I've seen you around. I like it when you smile. I like your laugh. I like the way you talk to people, I like the way you walk. The fact that I find you physically appealing has little to do with it."

"Oh," Dan frowned. He was still questioning his sexuality- as far as he was concerned, sexuality was fluid, but he was still prone to an identity crisis every now and then.

"Okay," Dan accepted hesitantly. Phil immediately beamed at Dan and Troye and Shane were giving Dan a familiar look that conveyed "What the actual fuck," pretty well.

"Bye, then!" Phil said cheerily, walking back to the table where he usually sat.

"What was that about?" Dan wondered.

"Why the hell did you accept?!" Shane asked frantically, "I mean, I was the kid who took candy from a white van, but I'm not _this_ stupid."

"Well, he's cute," Dan said, shrugging, "He could be a nice boyfriend."

"He beat up a freshman." Troye said, giving Dan a worried look, "Are you sure he isn't just tricking you, or... worse?" Troye gulped, his mind immediately racing to the absolute worst possibilities.

"Calm down, Troye," Dan huffed, "I'm sure there's nothing to be worried about."

"If you're sure," Troye said, returning to his meal. The three were separated for the next class, unfortunately, but they all had first hour science, third hour history, and eighth hour PE together.

They went their separate ways and agreed to meet in their usual spot for PE.

.o0o.

"Push-ups, fifteen!" The teacher, Coach Norris, said as he leaned back in his office chair. The kids counted out loud- with one girl counting in Spanish "Because she could,"- and then went outside to run around the track.

"Why the hell is it so hard to run three laps?!" Dan gasped.

"Because you never exercise." Shane pointed out, running alongside him.

"True," Dan nodded. They crossed the gate to the track and caught their breath before walking for the rest of the day. Troye eventually caught up to them and they talked about nothing and everything at the same time.

"So, crushes?" Troye rubbed his hands together, "Cute guys?"

"What about that Tyler guy?" Dan asked, pointing to where the moderately fit guy was playing Ultimate Frisbee in the soccer field.

"He's pretty cute," Troye said, "What about Connor?"

"Yeah," Dan nodded, "Hannah?"

"Pretty sure she's a lesbian," Shane noted her checking out Ingrid's rack.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Dan said. The three gossiped (honestly, there's no other word for it) all hour, and then Coach Norris blew a whistle that signaled them to go back inside.

"Finally," Dan groaned, "Let's get back inside."

.o0o.

Phil had decided to be a really romantic guy and left a note on Dan's locker after school that afternoon.

_Hey Cutie,_

_So, I was thinking, do you want to see Ant-Man? I know it came out a while back, but we could go to that cinema with the reclining seats. I'd love to hear or see a response from you! <3_

_Phil Lester -636-726-2736_

_Ps. Don't show this to any of my friends. They think I'm totally hardcore. I've got them fooled, haven't I?_

Dan almost laughed out loud when he read it. He immediately showed it to Troye.

"Okay..." Troye was still a bit skeptical, "He almost passes."

"Almost?" Dan asked incredulously.

"He's taking you to see _Ant-Man_." Troye pointed out, "How romantic is a Marvel movie?"

"Very," Dan said seriously, "In fact, I think I'll text him." He laughed as Troye sighed in defeat. Dan got his phone out and entered Phil's name as _Phil Lester_ , because what else were you expecting? He texted Phil.

**D- Hey, Phil. It's Dan. Found your note. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me ;p**

A few minutes later, Phil texted back.

**P- Hi, Daniel the Spaniel!**

**D- So, when are we going to see Ant-Man?**

**P- Friday. Mum won't let me before.**

**D- Seriously? Badass Phil Lester's mum won't let him take a date on a weeknight?**

**P- Yep.**

Dan giggled at his phone.

"Is he sending you nudes?" Troye asked. Dan laughed harder at that.

**D- Troye wants to know if you've sent me nudes.**

**P- Who's that?**

**D- Blue eyes, blond hair.**

**P- Both your friends have blue eyes and blond hair. And do you want me to send you nudes? Lol :)**

"He has not, in fact, sent me nudes." Dan rolled his eyes after replying with a swift _no_ , "And he's taking me out tomorrow, if mum allows it."

"Oooooh," Shane walked up to Dan, "Is pretty boy Philip taking you somewhere _romantic_?"

"Dinner and a show." Dan said.

"What movie?" Shane asked.

"Ant-Man." Dan replied, "I'm actually really excited to see the next big thing Marvel does."

"Well, find out if your mum allows it," Troye urged. Dan rolled his eyes and texted him mom, who said yes. And to use protection, which Dan ignored.

"Well, you two crazy kids have fun!" Shane said, before whispering, "Forever alone."

"You'll find someone, Shane," Dan smirked.

"Sure," Shane rolled his eyes. In reality, all three were thinking almost the same thing. That only Phil, someone with almost no romantic prospects, would turn to Dan, who was most likely the most attractive from their group.

.o0o.

The next night, Dan's mom made him wear extra cologne.

"We're going to the movies, mum," Dan rolled his eyes, "We're not attending a wedding."

"First impressions go a long way, sweetheart." His mom said, smoothing out his shirt. Dan rolled his eyes again and the doorbell rang.

"Ooh, that's Phil," His mom squealed. Dan huffed a sigh and followed her reluctantly.

"Hello, sweetie," Dan's mom said, letting Phil into the house. Phil almost looked presentable without a leather jacket- which he had traded for a blue flannel that made his eyes pop. Sure, he still had the snake-bite piercings, but he wasn't wearing any eyeliner and he only kept one of his earrings.

"Hello, Mrs. Howell." Phil said respectfully, "I've got the movie tickets, ready to go."

"Oh, and what movie are you going to see?" Dan's mom inspected the tickets.

"Ant-Man." Phil replied.

"Sounds wonderful, have fun!" Dan's mother closed the door behind the two.

"You ready?" Phil asked. Dan nodded, smiling at Phil.

"By the way, you look lovely tonight," Phil said softly.

"You look awesome too," Dan said in reply, nudging Phil.

"Thanks," Phil chuckled. He led Dan to his car, a slightly beat-up looking Chevy.

"Thanks for taking me," Dan said sincerely as Phil drove out of Dan's driveway.

"Anything for you, my prince," Phil exaggerated in a ridiculous voice, mock-bowing in front of Dan. Dan laughed and said, "You must bring me a hamster named Striker and four quarts of milk."

"Oh my God, no," Phil gagged.

"So you made the life-changing mistake of reading those, too?" Dan laughed even harder.

"Oh, yeah," Phil said, "I hope you aren't serious about that."

"No, of course not," Dan said.

"We'll be there in five minutes," Phil said, "What music do you listen to?"

"Well, I really like Muse and Fall Out Boy, that kind of thing," Dan shrugged.

"I don't think there's a radio station for that in America, but you can look through my IPod." Phil gave Dan the device. Dan turned on a playlist that looked hopeful, _Best Of Fall Out Boy_. Knowing all the songs, Dan sang along to them and Phil laughed quietly. As promised, they had arrived within five minutes. Phil took out his bag which was already laden with treats- Laffy Taffys and Whoppers were two of the most prominent.

"I really liked the Maltesers back in England," Dan said.

"Well, they have Whoppers, which are kind of similar," Phil shrugged, "You can have them."

"Are we not paying for snacks?" Dan raised an eyebrow at Phil.

"You'd be surprised at what you can sneak in with a bit of practice," Phil smirked. He stuck some Laffy Taffys in his coat pockets and some Whoppers in his bag, a satchel.

"And they just let you walk in with all that stuff?" Dan asked.

"To make it less suspicious, you'll be carrying the bag, and I'll be carrying the coat over my arm." Phil said, grabbing a bag of Hershey's Kisses and hopping out of the car. Dan grabbed the satchel and followed.

.o0o.

"Okay, just to your left," The lady who greeted them said, pointing them in that direction.

"Thank you," Phil said with a bright smile, leading Dan to the room.

"Are we the only ones here?" Dan asked the empty room.

"The movie did come out like three weeks ago," Phil shrugged, "Fate must've just really loved us."

"Yeah," Dan said, sitting in their seat. The chairs did recline, which was awesome, but they were also wide enough so that Dan could sit cross-legged in them, which he did.

"Okay, settle down, the movie's about to start," Phil beamed.

"I am calm," Dan pouted. Phil's smile only grew brighter at Dan's protest.

.o0o.

It was almost to the intense fight scene when Phil grabbed Dan's hand. Dan honestly didn't mind.

After the scene where the Wasp left with his suit, Phil whispered to Dan, "Wanna kiss?"

Dan hummed like he was thinking about it and then said, "Sure,"

Phil pressed his lips to Dan's. Dan could feel Phil's snake-bite piercing sliding against his lips.

A lot of writers say that kissing someone is like fireworks, like magic little sparks or tingles shooting up and down your spine. This was not the case. This kiss was long and it left them both breathless, but it didn't feel like electricity, but more like... water. Cool water running under your skin. It felt right, in a sense. Dan's lips fit perfectly with Phil's.

"That was amazing!" Phil said afterward. Dan just nodded, completely star-struck.

"Want a Kiss?" Phil asked with a giggle, holding up one of the Kisses.

"Of course," Dan said, snatching the chocolate and eating it quickly. They giggled and finished watching the movie.

"That was amazing!" This time it was Dan who said it.

"Wait- wait-" Phil said rapidly, "Post-credits scene."

"Yeah," Dan said. The two gasped as it was Bucky.

"Buck," On-screen Steve said.

"My baby," Phil said, reaching out to the screen. Dan giggled and did the same.

"Someone get the poor man a blanket," Phil pouted. Dan couldn't help but kiss the pout right off of it.

"Wow, someone's a good kisser," Phil commented.

"You're better," Dan said.

"Oh really?" Phil said like it was a challenge.

"Yep," Dan said with finality. Phil just chuckled and the two left, holding hands. They threw away the candy and got back into Phil's beat-up Chevy.

"I'd love to do that again sometime," Phil said, smiling.

"Me too," Dan returned the smile, but with dimples. Phil could already feel himself becoming a sucker for dimples.

"Let's get you home," Phil said.

"I'm seventeen, I can't stay over?" Dan pouted.

"Nah," Phil said, "I'm taking you home." He drove Dan back to Dan's house.

"Hey, Mrs. Howell," Phil said in greeting.

"C'mere, Dan," Dan's mom said, sweeping Dan into a hug, "Have fun?"

"Yeah," Dan squirmed.

"Aw, you're so cute when you're uncomfortable," Phil said sarcastically. Dan grumbled and turned a bright red.

"You can stay over if you want," Dan's mom shrugged.

"Well, if you insist," Phil said, walking into the house, "I enjoyed taking your son on a date."

"I enjoyed the house to myself," Dan's mom said.

"Mum!" Dan pretended to be offended.

"What?" Dan's mom said.

"I enjoy your presence," Phil purred. Dan laughed, "Great, mum, you've given him the perfect opportunity to say something like that."

"Like what?" Phil asked innocently.

"You know, like, 'you're pretty' or, 'I like your dimples'."

"So, you're saying you don't want me to compliment you on your adorable dimples?" Phil asked Dan with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh- no," Dan chuckled, "Please, continue."

"Your smile. I love it. And your hair. It's really soft." Phil stroked Dan's head, "Your voice is amazing. Even after one night I feel like I've known you forever."

"Your hair's soft too!" Dan said, "And your eyes are beautiful-"

"Okay, I'm just gonna stop you there, you can be lovey-dovey in _Dan's_ room, but if you want dinner I don't want you two frick-fracking on my rug." Dan's mom said.

"Mum!" Dan blushed again, trying _really_ hard not to imagine the scenario his mother had just proposed.

"Dinner in ten!" His mother was already in the kitchen.

"So, should we sit at the table?" Phil asked the other boy.

"Probably," Dan said, walking into the room and sitting down. Phil joined him and the two held hands, talking about their friends.

"Shane's nice," Dan shrugged, "He's got a sense of humor you've got to get used to. Troye's a bit... okay, he's really anti-social. But not as much as me." Dan cracked a smile.

"Well, Jamie really wants to date me," Phil said, "Hopefully this'll get the message across that I'm not interested in girls. Then there's PJ, who is really into jumpers for whatever reason. There's Jordan, and Bela, who- trust me- you don't want to be on the bad side of, although, she's a pretty good person if you know her."

"Sounds lovely," Dan's mother put the lasagna on the table. She got out one of those square spatula-things and cut it into pieces. She put a large helping on Dan and Phil's plates, "So, Phil, what do you do for fun?"

"I usually watch anime-"

"Which ones?" Dan had to know.

"Well, obviously Black Butler and Attack On Titan." Phil said.

"No," Dan gasped, "Me too!"

"Do you like Muse?" Phil inquired. Dan nodded.

"It's lovely that you two are getting along. I'm glad you've branched out, Daniel." Dan's mom said, taking a bite of her lasagna. Phil did the same and said, "This is really good, Mrs. Howell."

"Thank you, I try." She said. The three ate chatting about nothing and everything, trying to get to know Phil better, and Phil trying to get to know them better.

"I'm sorry, there's an elephant in the room," Phil said, "And I understand if you don't want to tell me or whatever, but... where's Mr. Howell?"

"He... left. A long time ago. I had a second child and he just took off with him." Mrs. Howell looked a little sad, "I can't say I miss him too much, although I wonder what Adrian is like now."

"I'm sorry," Phil said. Dan looked somber. Phil leaned over and kissed Dan gently on the cheek, each movement still foreign around him.

"It's perfectly fine, dear," Mrs. Howell said.

"Let's talk about something happier," Phil suggested. They chatted about Phil's hobbies, and Dan's, Phil's classes and what Phil wanted to be when he grew up.

"I can't say that I have a dream," Phil said, "When I was little I wanted to be a weatherman, but now... I don't know."

"I remember how it felt to be confused about where you wanted to be in life," Mrs. Howell said, "You'll figure it out, though, I did."

"I guess. Hey, I'm feeling kinda tired, can I crash on your couch?" Phil asked. Mrs. Howell and Dan both nodded and Phil promptly walked over to the living room and fell, face-first, onto the sofa.

"I'll get his plate, and yours, you just make sure he's comfortable," Mrs. Howell told Dan, who nodded and helped his new friend- if not more than that. But that was a conversation for the next day. Dan rolled Phil onto his back and got a duvet and put it on Phil's still form.

"You idiot," Dan chuckled at a sleeping Phil, "Falling asleep in a stranger's house."

"We're not strangers," Phil mumbled, "I feel like I've known you forever."

"Yeah," Dan sighed, kissing Phil's forehead, "Like I've known you forever."

He went upstairs to tell Troye and Shane.

**S- No. No way. You go, gurl!**

**T- So, he didn't date-rape you.**

**D- Oh my god, no!**

**S- when's the wedding. I get to be the flower girl!**

**D- We don't know what to call ourselves yet, we aren't going to talk about marriage for a long, long time.**

**T- thank god. I still don't trust him.**

**D- People don't trust us because of our reputation. We shouldn't do the same to others.**

**T- so I shouldn't let people like Tyler just ruin my good night's sleep?**

**S- And Joey. Don't forget Joey.**

**T- We all know about your little crush on the dude.**

**S- says you, Mr. Tyler-Oakley-is-perfect-please-daddy**

**D- wait did he actually say that?**

**T- no of course not!**

**S- yea, while you were busy moaning at phil's nudes**

**D- HE DIDN'T SEND ME HIS NUDES**

**T- I'll believe it when I see it.**

Dan texted a definite goodbye and turned his phone off to charge. He got under his comforter and his traitorous brain couldn't think of a better dream than a world where he and Phil were together, YouTubers, and made it big. Where they got married in 2022. Where they said 'I love you' without a moment's hesitation. Where there were fans cheering for them.

But nobody makes it big in Small Town, Missouri.

.o0o.

Phil woke up groggily.

"You almost missed breakfast!" Dan's mom called from the kitchen. Phil blinked and heard bacon sizzling.

"Yeah, biscuits and gravy!" Dan cheered. Phil walked into the kitchen to find a skillet with the bacon on it and biscuits in the oven. Gravy and jam were on the table along with butter.

"Have a seat," Mrs. Howell said invitingly.

"This smells lovely," Phil said in the same polite manner as the previous night. He rubbed his eyes, which had grown bleary from sleep. Phil glanced over at Dan.

"Your hair's curly?" Phil raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah," Dan sighed.

"It's pretty adorable." Phil said, "Thank you so much for letting me sleep on your couch, Mrs. Howell."

"Any time, dear," Dam's mom said, "You're such a sweet guy, I like you. And call me Becky."

"Mum!" Dan laughed, "You're not supposed to like dates I bring back to the house!"

"So, I'm not allowed to like that you're being social and not just sitting in your room and texting the only two people you know?" Dan's mom raised an eyebrow at Dan. Dan groaned and blushed.

"Soup's up!" Becky said, smiling. She brought both boys two biscuits and the gravy to go on them, and some pieces of bacon.

"What do you want to drink?" Becky asked. Dan asked for orange juice and Phil asked for coffee.

"You drink coffee?" Dan asked.

"Yep. Can't survive the day without it." Phil said, placing a kiss on Dan's cheek.

"You two are _adorable_ ," Becky grinned, "I might have to get a photo of you sometime."

"No!" Both boys immediately shouted.

"Okay, okay," Becky chuckled, "Don't shoot!"

"Actually, I think I might have to go in a bit," Phil said, checking the wall clock.

"Oh," Dan looked disappointed.

"Don't be sad," Phil mockingly pouted, "I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Sure," Dan rolled his eyes. Dan and Phil finished in a hurry and Phil was almost out the door.

"Goodbye kiss?" Dan asked, "I've never liked saying goodbye. I think this is an effective compromise."

"I bet you say that to every boy you bring back to your house and force-feed delicious lasagna." Phil grinned, kissing Dan on the lips.

"Goodbye!" Becky called as Phil left the driveway in his car. Dan still felt a little floaty from the kiss, so he retreated to his room to group text his friends.

**D- Phil kissed me again.**

**S- did you fuck**

**D- OH MY GOD NO**

**S- what? its a valid question**

**D- an extremely PERSONAL QUESTION**

**T- shane, you don't just ask a boy if he and his boyfriend had morning sex**

**D- EXACTLY**

**S- well IM SORRY**

**D- you should be**

After _that_ disaster of his group text, Dan needed some Netflix. He decided he was going to waste his weekend re-watching Sherlock. As usual, he had a box of tissues for the Reichenbach Fall.

**T- hey dan**

**D- what**

**T- I think connor asked me out**

**S- WAT**

**T- I KNOW**

**D- wait which Connor?**

**T- Franta**

This immediately stopped Dan's Sherlock marathon.

**D- This requires a Face-Time.**

**S- AGREED**

**T- Okay okay I'm getting on my facetime.**

Dan's phone started ringing, so he sat up.

"Why are there tissues by your bed?" Of course, _of course_ , that would be Shane's first question.

"I was marathon-ing Sherlock again and the Reichenbach scene makes me cry," Dan said quickly and quietly.

"You never cry!" Troye laughed.

"Well, it makes me cry, okay?!" Dan exclaimed, "Let's talk about what happened with you and Connor."

"Oh my gosh." Troye's face lit up, "So, he called me. Ignoring the fact that I'm not sure how he got my number, he asked if I was free tonight. So, of course, I said yes, and he's taking me to dinner!" Troye squealed.

"That's fantastic!" Dan smiled, "Phil crashed on my couch last night and mum made us breakfast."

"Second base already," Shane wiggled his eyebrows, "Damn Daniel."

"Although you get an A+ for meme usage," Dan retorted, "The most he's done is kiss me. We're not boyfriends yet and we certainly haven't done anything rated more than PG. 13." He added as an afterthought.

"Okay, so, what should I wear?" Troye was always worried over the most cliché things, "I want to wear this shirt, but I think it might be too casual?" He held up said shirt.

"Nah, that should be good." Dan said, "If he doesn't like it then he certainly shouldn't be your date."

"You're right." Troye said with determination.

"Well, he should be getting here soon, I think I should go," Troye smiled, "I'll text you guys and tell you what happened."

"You'd better," Shane threatened.

"Bye!" Troye said cheerily, hanging up. Shane did the same and left Dan feeling- once again- lonely. Maybe it was a bit of a stretch to wish for companionship when he rarely left the house. This made him think on what made him, Troye, and Shane friends in the first place.

_It was the fifth grade. Dan had already made a little niche for himself as the 'outsider'. Then Troye Sivan Mellet came out of that goddam closet. The two had moved to Missouri due to the 'job opening', or something along those lines. Troye had been fairly popular because, let's face facts here, he was fucking adorable. The girls swooned over him._

_Dan wasn't treated in the same regard. He rarely ever spoke and would much rather fail a project than present in front of the class. He never even raised his hand in class to ask or answer a question._

_As soon as Troye came out, he was beat up after lunch. Of course, Dan witnessed the whole thing. A burst of courage had overcome him._

_"Don't." Dan had squeaked._

_"What're you going to do about it, Freak?" A bully had asked him in a condescending voice. Dan felt pressure build up behind his eyes- and oh God, he did not want to cry in front of them. He slung Troye's arm over his shoulder and took Troye to the nurse. Everyone had freaked out over it, but Troye had been hit from behind and Dan's face had been hidden by his hoodie, so they never knew who the bully was._

_"I'm fine," Dan sniffled. Troye wrapped him in a huge hug which was disproportionate to his tiny body._

_"Thank you!" Troye said. Dan just stood there, hugging Troye for a long time. It really did cement their friendship._

_Shane joined their group not long after, he'd moved from the Helen Keller school to their school and was immediately outlawed for being fat. And so became their daily teasing of "Fatso, Freak, and Fag." Really, the alliteration was an accident, although, it worked quite nicely. Shane plucked up the courage to start Weight Watchers a few weeks after joining the school._

_It was the beginning of a beautiful partnership. If there was one thing you could not call them, it was unintelligent. Troye literally had the voice of an angel, Shane was conniving (because hey, years of sneaking food around had paid off), and Dan was practically addicted to books. Soon, nobody bullied them, and they were forgotten. It might have been lonely, but there were two consolations; one, they had each other, and two, it sure beat being punched._

.o0o.

Connor stood in his shirt uncomfortably. Troye appeared and something twinged in Connor's gut- but he ignored it. He pushed it aside- he was here on a mission.

"Hey, Connor," Troye's eyes sparkled bright blue. Connor smiled and said, "So, we should get going."

"Yeah," Troye responded, "So, where are we eating?"

"It's literally called Japan Sushi." Connor laughed lightly, "I hope you're up for sushi."

"It's okay," Troye smiled, "Just be glad you didn't ask my sister- she's allergic to shellfish." Connor chuckled. The two left in good spirits and got into Connor's truck.

.o0o.

"Well, here we are," Connor said cheerfully, stepping out of the truck. Troye did the same.

"This doesn't look like a sushi place," Troye frowned.

"It's not," Connor's grin turned malevolent and Troye knew he'd made a mistake. He reached for his phone but Connor grabbed it out of his hands.

"You're not going anywhere," Connor said darkly. Several other boys, Sam Pepper being among them, jumped out from the shadows, wielding markers and fists. Troye soon succumbed, curling up into a ball and letting the punches rain down.

"P-please, stop," Troye begged.

"What are you doing?" An extremely beat-up jeep rolled up.

"Teaching Fag a lesson!" Sam yelled back.

"Get!" The newcomer said, shooing the boys away, "I'll take care of him!"

"W-what?" Troye's stomach dropped and his heart raced.

"I said, GO." The newcomer's voice boomed, sending the assailants scurrying.

"Are you okay?" He asked anxiously, dropping onto his knees. Troye nodded, then shook his head 'No.'

"That's what I thought. Who do you want me to call?"

"Who- who are you?" Troye asked.

"Tyler." Tyler grinned and Troye's vision went a little fuzzy. Maybe that's why he couldn't determine who his rescuer was.

"Thanks." Troye was grinning and he didn't know why.

"Thank me later, once you've not died," Tyler muttered, "Who the fuck am I calling?"

"My mum," Troye said, "And Dan Howell."

"Okay," Tyler said, "Is Dan your boyfriend?"

"No- no," Troye coughed, "He's my best friend."

"Okay, cutie," Tyler said, "I've texted you mom and your bestie. Let's get you to my place."

"I'm a classy lady," Troye quipped, "Take me to dinner first."

"Nope. You're getting the treatment you deserve, not this shit." Tyler gestured vaguely in the direction the bullies went.

"I'm tired. Dizzy." Troye hiccoughed.

"Don't sleep," Tyler said gently, "Try to stay awake. My mom's got some nurse training."

"M'kay." Troye said sleepily, dozing off. He could only make out certain words Tyler said, like "No," "Stop," "Don't go," "Not before-"

Troye was moving.

Troye was still again.

Troye was laying down.

There was a very yell-y woman.

Black.

.o0o.

**T- Found him on the sidewalk. Hurt real bad. Taken him to my place 4873 Highway Boulevard**

Dan sprang into action. He ran down the stairs, still hopping into skinny jeans and a t-shirt.

"Honey, I'm glad you're getting out in the world," Dan's mother looked worried, "But why the rush?"

"Troye got mugged, I think." Dan gasped, "Can I borrow the car?"

"Not like that, honey," Dan's mother said gently, "I'll drive. Is he at the hospital?"

"No, a good Samaritan found him and took him to his house. Apparently it wasn't bad enough to need hospitalization, but if it is, I want to be there for him." Dan said in a quick procession.

"Okay," Dan's mother grabbed her keys, "What's the address?"

.o0o.

When Dan arrived there was no sign of an ambulance. Which might have been a good sign- or a horrible one. Dan knocked on the door and another senior answered. He had dyed his hair sea-foam green and had glasses. Dan vaguely recognized him as Tyler Oakley, but he pushed him aside.

"Where's Troye?" Dan nearly snarled.

"On the couch," Tyler said, "Sleeping." Dan immediately let out a sigh of relief.

"Should I stay here or leave?" Dan's mom asked.

"You can go, mum," Dan said, "Troye's going to be fine. I'll text you when I need a lift."

"Okay, sweetheart, I'll be back," Dan's mother kissed the top of Dan's head and left.

"So," Tyler shifted uncomfortably, "When did you and Troye meet?"

"Fifth grade. He got pushed over and in a rare moment of awesomeness I stood up for him." Dan said, "I guess I shouldn't have stopped."

"No, man, this isn't your fault," Tyler said, "It's the bullies'."

"I should call Shane," Dan said. Tyler nodded and gave Dan the go-ahead. Jackie- Tyler's mom- was busy with Troye.

"Hey, Troye got jumped and beaten up really badly," Dan grimaced as he looked at his friend. On his forehead someone had written, "FAG" in red letters.

"Oh my God," The sound of breaking plates over the phone could be heard.

"Did you just break a plate for the effect of surprise?" Dan inquired.

"... maybe..." Shane said. Dan sighed.

"Look, he's injured and he needs us right now, no matter how cliché that sounds, can you just be here?" Dan asked impatiently.

"Of course," Shane said seriously. Dan was relieved again. Shane hung up and got on the road.

"So, is he single?" Tyler asked Dan and gestured to a sleeping Troye, "He's pretty cute."

"You mean, without all the marker and bruises and scrapes, right?" Dan had to be sure.

"Of course!" Tyler seemed offended, "Who would like him better _with_ the bruises?!"

"I think that's called sadism," Dan pointed out.

"Whatever," Tyler huffed, "I'm not into... that."

"Okay, just had to be sure," Dan said defensively. He grabbed a chair and sat next to his friend, scrolling through Tumblr to pass the time.

.o0o.

"I'm here!" Shane said, in his usual glamorous manner. He traipsed into the living room and paused when he saw the state Troye was in, which wasn't all that good. The smile slipped off of his face. Tyler walked into the room with some water for "When Troye wakes us," and caught Shane's eye.

"Who're you?" Shane asked Tyler.

"Tyler Oakley." Tyler said.

"Oh, I've seen you around," Shane shrugged, "So, you're the one who rescued my friend?"

"Yeah," Tyler was getting uncomfortable with all this questioning. Shane could be intimidating when he wanted to be.

"Shane, mate, calm down," Dan rolled his eyes, "Troye will be up in a bit, he'll tell us what happened then."

"Fine," Shane grumbled, taking another chair.

.o0o.

The two friends sat in silence for a long time; it could have been days and they wouldn't have moved. Tyler stood there a bit more anxiously, but for Dan and Shane, it was as if they were trying to will their friend back to consciousness. In reality, Troye stirred a mere fifty minutes after they sat down, but to them it could have been years- or even aeons.

"Hey," Dan smiled softly at his best friend.

"'Sup?" Troye asked, voice harsh. Troye immediately whimpered- hey, he had a bruised forehead, and pretty much everywhere was scraped.

"Hey- hey," Tyler swiftly got to Troye, "I've got some pain meds. My mom told me how to use them- she went out for her shift. Just take two pills with water and we should be fine."

"Thank you so much," Troye said graciously to Tyler. He sat up, wincing, and swallowed the two tablets.

"Thank you," Troye repeated.

"Don't thank me," Tyler said.

"You saved me," Troye said stubbornly, "I should get to goddamn thank you."

"That almost sounded sexual," Shane pointed out, clutching a cup of coffee.

"Shut it," Troye snapped at him. The three friends chuckled.

"Now that I think about it," Tyler looked thoughtful, "Would you like to go out sometime?"

"I- uh-" Troye looked a bit panicked.

"You don't have to, of course!" Tyler back-tracked immediately, "I don't want you to feel pressured or coerced or whatever. I know you just went through the trauma of being ditched in the worst way possible and I would never put you through that and I just-"

"Okay," Troye accepted, if only to get Tyler to shut the hell up.

"Forever alone," Shane whimpered mockingly.

"You be quiet, Troye's having a moment," Dan said lightly.

"Oh yeah, real romantic," Troye rolled his eyes, "Here I am, all rolled up in gauze, and with someone I barely know mother-henning over me-"

"My mom would be worse," Tyler said, "She likes to make you rate your pain and stuff like that. Are the pain killers working, while we're on the topic?"

"Yep," Troye yawned, "Actually, I'm quite tired. I'm just gonna take a quick nap-" Troye was asleep before his head hit the cushion.

"He's really adorable." Tyler snorted. Dan's phone chimed twice.

**P- hey, I've got some spare time tomorrow, you can come over to my place ;)**

Dan smiled at that and replied with a reluctant **If my mum lets me**. The second text was from Dan's mom.

**M- Hey, sweetheart. You or your friends want anything? I'm at the store.**

"Hey, you guys want anything?" Dan asked, "Mum's at the store."

"Ooh, her tomato soup is good." Shane thought, "Have her get that. She can cook here- we'll surprise Tyler's mom."

"That'd be quite the surprise," Tyler laughed, "Three strange men and a woman at her house, one of whom is cooking food and another who is passed out from pain killers."

The room passed into silence again, Tyler asking the occasional question about Dan and Shane and Troye. But mostly Troye. Dan took the opportunity to ask his mom if he could go over to Phil's.

**D- hey mum can I go over to phil's tomorrow**

**M- sure, sweetie. have fun! use protection!**

**D- WE'RE NOT SHAGGING**

**D- also the guys want your tomato soup. please make it.**

He replied to Phil next.

**D- Mum said yeah**

**P- great. see you tomorrow! ;D**

Dan couldn't wait.

The rest of the evening was spent in relative peace, Tyler passing all of the 'exams' Shane had put for someone to date Troye.

"He did this to Phil too, don't worry," Dan chuckled. Tyler mouthed 'help me,' as Shane asked him if he'd ever owned a pet. Dan shook his head sadly, this was something he'd have to go through.

"You're good," Shane nodded, still suspicious, "But if you make one wrong move or treat Troye like anything less than the princess he is-"

"I won't, trust me," Tyler smiled.

.o0o.

At around eleven, Troye's mom and Dan's mom came by. It just so happened that Jackie had gotten off work and was heading home at the same time.

"My mom should be here soon," Tyler frowned slightly, "She'll want to know what happened to Troye, and that I didn't let him go home with some weirdo mom." That got a laugh out of Troye's mom.

"And he'll be okay?" Troye's mom asked for what felt like the fiftieth time that night.

"Of course," Tyler said reassuringly, "My mom has a degree in nursing, specializing in skin care and pediatrics."

"That was coincidental," Dan's mom shrugged, "I brought tomato soup."

"I heard there was food," Troye stirred again.

"How are you feeling, honey?" Troye's mom asked him.

"I just had my face pounded in, I feel perfectly pleasant," Troye said sarcastically.

"Let's eat," Shane suggested. They got out some bowls and sat around a table with six extremely unused chairs.

"Mom's not home very often," Tyler shrugged.

"Oh," Troye said, "Wait, what's your phone number?" Tyler and Troye exchanged phone numbers just as Jackie walked in the door.

"I authorized this kid to nap on our couch, not for you to host a party." Jackie rolled her eyes as Tyler gave her a humongous hug.

"Thanks for that," Tyler said.

"You might not want to hug me- I was in the infectious disease ward." Jackie said. Tyler immediately let go.

"I smell something," Jackie said.

"That'd be my tomato soup." Dan's mom walked up, "Hi, I'm Becky, Dan's mum."

"You are very British," Jackie said.

"Yeah, we moved here after Dan's dad left me," Becky said.

"That's sad," Jackie said, "And who's that?"

"I'm Lily, Troye's mum," Lily said, holding out her hand for Jackie to shake. Becky did the same and soon all three mothers were well acquainted.

"You hungry?" Becky asked.

"Starving," Jackie groaned, digging into her soup.

"I think I have to leave soon, I wouldn't want Troye staying up too late," Lily said, "And despite the fact that I'm sure you're fully capable, I have to schedule a doctor's appointment for him."

"Understood," Jackie said, "Feel free."

Troye could stand, albeit weakly, and his mom led him from the room and into the car.

.o0o.

After a rather vicious battle over who would keep the tomato soup (Becky won and Jackie put the leftovers in her fridge), Dan and Shane left soon after with Becky.

"You staying over?" She asked Shane.

"Nah, just drop me at my house," Shane said. Becky obliged and Dan was so exhausted that he fell asleep in the car on the way back.

.o0o.

Dan woke up at around three in the afternoon. People talk about how draining it can be being in a physical and emotional trauma, but watching your friend look like a beaten and broken toy was a lot to go through as well.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," Dan's mom said, "You want something to eat before you head over to Phil's?"

"Oh-" Dan had forgotten about that. He hopped into some jeans and another t-shirt and shoveled cereal into his mouth.

"Easy there, tiger," Becky chuckled, "We don't have to leave for another half hour."

"I don't care," Dan said, "I just really wanna get there early."

"Well, okay then," Becky rolled her eyes, "I take it that means things are going well?"

"Yeah," Dan nodded, "While we were at the movies we kissed."

"Oh my god!" Becky squealed, "I think I hear wedding bells."

"Mum!" Dan said defensively.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Becky apologized, "I'm just so happy you're getting out there. You've spent enough time in books."

"Never," Dan said, smiling. He finished his cereal and put his bowl in the sink. He and Becky left for Phil's, despite Dan's protest that he could drive himself.

.o0o.

"Here we are!" Becky grinned, letting Dan out. Dan smiled and thanked his mom before walking up the driveway and knocking on the door.

"Who're you?" A teenage girl answered the door.

"Uh- Phil's-"

"Dan!" Phil said, sounding excited.

"Louise, this is Dan," Phil introduced her quickly, "My _friend_."

"Oh, okay," Louise didn't seem to fazed by it, "Turn down your X-Box when you bring your 'friends' over."

Dan was a little shocked by this. Was X-Box an innuendo? Louise obviously saw right through Phil's introduction of Dan, but for whatever reason, she didn't seem to acknowledge it.

"C'mon," Phil said, "Let's go up to my room." Phil led the way quickly, past a family portrait with Phil looking as innocent as possible- actually, he looked adorable.

"What was that about?" Dan raised an eyebrow at the other senior when the two reached Phil's room, "I would've guessed that by now we're more than friends, I mean, we've kissed more than twice-" Phil cut Dan off by kissing him right on the lips.

"Sorry, Bear," Phil said, smiling into the kiss, "I'm not out yet to anybody other than Lou. My dad's super homophobic and my mum's just as bad."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Dan moved so he was almost straddling Phil and didn't react to the pet name, "Is there any way I can-" Dan stopped kissing Phil to, rather blatantly, check him out, " _Make it up to you_?"

"You can keep kissing me," Phil suggested. Dan did just that. Phil soon worked his tongue into Dan's mouth and the two made out passionately- because how else would you make out with your boyfriend?

"You're a good kisser," Phil commented. Dan hummed his approval, and Phil moved to kiss Dan's neck.

"Okay- okay, Phil," Dan quickly brought the kissing to a halt. Phil stopped immediately and looked up at Dan.

"You were doing fantastic," Dan said, "But the neck is a no-go zone. It's- uh- really, unless you want me to make unspeakable noises which your father will certainly hear, you don't want to give me a hickey there."

"Oh, but I like the unspeakable noises," Phil complained, leaning back so the two were no longer embracing.

"Did I say to stop?" Dan asked, "I was just recommending that you stay away from that particular area."

"I'll just turn on some music-" Phil turned on some classical music. Dan raised a questioning eyebrow at Phil.

"My parents aren't aware that I've got piercings." Phil said flatly, "Never mind the tattoo."

"Oh, well, what'd you get?" Dan asked curiously.

"You've got no idea the hassle I had to go through to get fakes for myself and some of my friends," Phil rolled his eyes at the memory, "But it paid off." He took off his shirt and twisted around to reveal a tattoo of some wings. They were feathery angel wings.

"Does this make you from heaven?" Dan asked, "'Cause I think you look like an angel."

"We're already together, no need to use crappy pick-up lines," Phil said, smirking and kissing Dan again.

"I haven't got any tattoos," Dan muttered as he worked his shirt off too. Neither of them were very athletic, but still, what did you expect? Greek sex-gods? No, just regular guys.

"Now," Phil said with finality, "I can kiss your neck." Phil kissed Dan's cheekbone, down his chin-line, and all the way to his dangerously sensitive neck. Dan let out a groan that Phil very much liked. Phil kissed and bit gently at Dan's skin, sucking a hickey onto his collar bone.

That's when the door opened.

"Hey, Philip, what're you- OH MY GOD!" Phil's mom squeaked.

"Wait, mum, it's not what it looks like!" Phil said quickly, trying desperately to hold on to whatever shred of a home life he had.

"Is this what you are? What you've chosen to be?" Phil's mom said, "I can't handle it. Out."

"But-"

"OUT." Phil's mom started to cry, and Phil's father showed up.

"Sweetheart," He said comfortingly, "What's going on?"

"Phil was in there-" Phil's mom said, sobbing, "Kissing- kissing that Howell boy!" She said 'Howell boy' like Dan was the living spawn of Satan- which, in this situation, is a rather ironic comparison.

"You! Boy!" Phil's father yelled at Phil, who looked smaller than Dan had ever seen him, and was trembling, "Look at what you've done!"

Phil squeaked as his father pushed him against the wall. Dan just stood there in shock.

"You will apologize to your mother, and cease contact with Daniel Howell." Phil's father said. Phil started to tear up just like his mother.

"I can't." Phil's voice cracked in fear.

"WHY CAN'T YOU?" His father roared. Phil was still pinned up against the wall, but he hadn't been hurt in any way.

"I- I've fallen in love," Phil's words shocked Dan.

"YOU HAVE NOT. YOU CANNOT FALL IN LOVE WITH ANOTHER BOY." Phil's father pressed Phil against the wall harder, causing Phil to yelp in pain.

"STOP!" Dan screamed. Phil's father let Phil go, and Phil clutched at his collar and heaved for breath.

"You're hurting him!" Dan said, rushing to Phil's aid.

"You're the one who's hurting him," Phil's father hissed, words like venom, "Think about what you're doing, boy, because it certainly isn't good for mine."

"You're wrong," Phil wheezed.

"I'm not wrong," Phil's father insisted, "I'm the one who's right." Phil's father comforted Phil's mother some more, glaring at Phil, who was stuck in Dan's solid embrace. The two had almost forgotten that they were shirtless when Louise walked into the room.

"What's going on?" Louise asked like she already knew.

"Your brother's not right in the head," Phil's mother explained through her tears, "He needs to be fixed."

"We need to leave," Dan suggested. Phil was still too numb to do anything. He knew he would never blame Dan for this- he'd have gotten caught with another boy at some point even if he and Dan hadn't gone on a date. He knew that he could only go back to his house one more time. He nodded blankly and allowed Dan to lead him to his room and pulled on his shirts and grabbed his piercings.

"Goodbye," Dan said solemnly, closing the front door behind him.

"You're okay with me driving your car, right?" Dan asked gently, placing a kiss on the corner of Phil's mouth. Phil nodded again and Dan grabbed Phil's hand.

"Hey, you listen to me," Dan said strongly, "Everything's going to be okay. You're going to be just fine, I'm going to be _just fine_."

"Okay," Phil whispered, still numb.

Dan drove them home.

Dan's mother worried over the, but after Dan told her what had happened she backed off with a simple, "He can stay as long as he wants."

It wasn't until the two were alone in Dan's room that Phil collapsed into Dan's arms, crying. Dan comforted him, shushing him and moving him over to his bed.

A litany of _"It'll be okay"_ s and _"You and I, we'll be fine"_ s later and Phil was feeling like he was all cried out.

Dan started to sing. It was well-known that Troye was a fantastic singer (not well-appreciated, just well-known), but Dan actually had a nice singing voice, as did Shane. They both blamed Troye for this 'curse upon humanity'.

"Tomorrow will be kinder," Dan sang, "It's true, I've seen it before. A brighter day, is coming our way, yes, tomorrow will be kinder."

"You have a fantastic singing voice," Phil said, kissing Dan's forehead.

"Thanks, but no," Dan sighed, "That's Troye's niche."

"Troye's a singer?" Phil asked. Dan nodded.

"That's interesting," Phil said, "Can I hear something of his?"

"Yeah," Dan said, "We've got a bunch of recordings saved to my phone."

"Oh," Phil looked intrigued, "Please show me."

"It would be inappropriate to start making out to this," Dan warned with a gleam in his eye.

"I would never dream of it," Phil pretended to be scandalized.

"Here we go," Dan pulled up the video of Troye singing 'Bite', a song he'd written. Dan sang some back-ups and Shane did most of the camera-work.

_"Kiss me on the mouth and set me free,"_ Troye's voice was really magnificent, _"Sing me like a choir. I can be the subject of your dreams, your sickening desire. Don't you wanna see your man up close, a phoenix in the fire? Kiss me on the mouth and set me free, but please don't bite."_

"That's fantastic!" Phil exclaimed, "You could totally start a band!"

"And what part of this band would you be?" Dan asked, "Because I can't imagine it without you."

"That's sweet." Phil said, kissing Dan on the lips, "I'd probably be a stage-hand. I've always had my way with electronics."

"That's-" Dan giggled, "Kinky." That earned him a mock slap from Phil. The two laughed for a bit before the mood changed.

"When you were at the house, you said you'd fallen in love with me," Dan said, "What did you mean by that?"

"I love you," Phil said, suddenly serious, "I've been in love with you for a long time."

"Really? You haven't, like, stalked me or anything, right?" Dan asked.

"No," Phil quickly dispelled the inference, "It started in fifth grade when you stood up for Troye Mellet. I didn't know either of you, and I just wished I could be like you- stand up for my friends. In seventh grade, I remember when Lain Beary killed herself. She was the fourth member of your little group." Dan remembered Lain very well. She was a wallflower, just like Dan. He should have seen her pain, but he was shortsighted. She'd had such a lovely voice, and her eyes were bright green. Her hair was blonde like sunflowers.

"I remember," Dan sighed, burying his face into Phil's shirt. Phil stroked Dan's hair.

"In eighth grade you nearly disappeared. You only ever wore black, and you and your friends were so quiet." Phil frowned, "I knew why, but nobody else seemed to notice your disappearance. I couldn't help but wonder why they wouldn't notice such a wonderful person- such wonderful people- gone missing." Dan knew why nobody realized when he, Troye, and Shane had entered what had probably been the worst depressive period of their lives. Thankfully, they had one another for late night Skype calls and early morning texts and to hug, otherwise they may have gone out the way Lain did.

"And that's the moment when I realized I was the only one who had noticed you at all," Phil said, "It felt really surreal, like I was singled out from everybody else. Then, I realized that's how you probably felt all the time. I wish I'd had the courage to tell you about everything before, but I was still coming to terms with my sexuality and how it would affect my home life. I guess, now I know." Phil chuckled.

"And what made you decide to just, one day, ask me out?" Dan inquired.

"It was a dare from PJ." Phil laughed quietly, "I was to ask you out because 'we were meant to be'. I guess PJ wins this round." Dan laughed too.

"Curses." Dan said, giggling some more, "He's foiled our plans to stay single and miserable forever." Phil couldn't help but agree, and chuckled along. They fell asleep soon after, never stopping giggling. Phil's last thought before he drifted off to sleep was _I'm so helplessly in love it's sickening_.

.o0o.

_"STOP!" Dan screamed. Except, it wasn't at Phil's dad. It was at another Dan. He had Phil pinned up against the wall and was grinding into him, despite the look on Phil's face saying otherwise and Phil letting out squeaks of disapproval._

_"Why," Other Dan said, "You're just a boy. You're doing Phil more harm than good."_

_The words repeated in Dan's head. Dan's eyes stretched wide._

_"No," Dan tried to defend himself. The voice didn't listen. Soon, Phil's father and mother joined the mantra. Louise. Troye. Tyler. Shane. Dan's mom. Other Dan was the loudest._

_The torrent of voices saying that he wasn't good enough for Phil, just a nobody, a shadow, a misfit, a Freak, filled his head. It made him want to cry. He felt so overwhelmed that he fell to the ground and buried his face in his hands, sobbing._

_"Please- please stop," Dan begged._

_"No," The voices said, "Dan. Dan. Dan!"_

Dan jolted awake from the dream.

"You were whimpering and calling out for someone to stop," Phil said, turning on the light. When Dan could make out Phil's face, he could see that Phil was very concerned.

"Was it me?" Phil asked.

"No- yes- I don't know," Dan gave up and told Phil the whole dream. About how the voices of everyone he knew told him he wasn't good enough. Phil wrapped Dan in his arms.

"Are you kidding?" Phil said, "You're more than good enough for me. You're absolutely perfect. Adorable. Fuzzy," Phil ruffled Dan's hair, making Dan giggle despite the tears still running down his cheeks, "Look. If I can feel like I've known you forever when I've only been dating you for three days, then you've certainly proved yourself. And think about it. I've moved in with you." Phil's eyes bored into Dan's head, "If I didn't love you- or even like you- why would I choose to stay with you over, say, PJ or Jamie?"

"I don't know," Dan allowed himself to be comforted.

"Don't you ever think for a second that you're not good enough," Phil said forcefully, "You're perfect just the way you are."

"Thank you," Dan sighed, burying his face in Phil's chest.

"It's three o'clock on Monday. We have school in three hours." Phil pointed out.

"We'd better catch some sleep," Dan yawned. Phil smoothed Dan's hair and the two fell asleep just like that, Dan pressed close to Phil's body.

.o0o.

After such an eventful weekend, there was almost no sleep involved for Dan and Phil. They woke on Monday and both grabbed their clothes.

"Oh, shinealight," Phil cursed, "I do not have clean clothes."

"I forgot!" Dan said, "Mum would be happy to drive you to your old house to get your clothes, or even to go get them herself."

"What's that?" Becky peeked her head into the room.

"Phil's got clothes in his house; could you possibly go get them?" Dan asked, pulling his best puppy eyes.

"Of course," Becky accepted without hesitation, "What his parents did was horrid. Stay as long as you like, dear." Becky nodded to Phil.

"Thank you," Phil said, giving Becky a swift hug.

"It's okay," Becky smiled, "You're much better than Shane."

"Hey," Dan said defensively.

"You two had better be down for breakfast soon," Becky said, "I'm cooking bacon."

"Ooh, bacon," Dan groaned, "We'll be right down." Dan and Phil helped each other back into their jeans- they had slept in boxers and their t-shirts.

.o0o.

Dan grabbed Phil's hand as the two walked down the stairs.

"You'll be together for a long time, won't you?" Becky sighed. Mothers have a rather underappreciated sense of how long a friendship will last. Of course, with Dan, he wasn't one to just let go of a friendship.

"That's the plan," Phil smiled. Dan kissed his chin.

.o0o.

Joey and Shane bumped into each other in what was probably going to be the least embarrassing embarrassing moment of Shane's life.

"Sorry," Both said at the same time.

"You're cute-" Shane said before he could stop himself. Curse his dumb filter-less brain.

"Uh- thanks-" Joey said, "You're too."

Both of them broke away, blushing. Naturally, Joey got his head out of his ass and asked Shane on a date, which Shane gratefully accepted.

.o0o.

"Look, boys, I'm not saying you can't attend _prom_ ," the principal adjusted his collar uncomfortably, "It's just that you can't attend prom _together_."

"Why?" The words were out of Troye's mouth without a moment's hesitation, "Dan and Phil are together, surely you won't deny them their basic rights too, correct?"

"I'm sorry boys," The principal said, "There are just too many people there who would be uncomfortable with any homosexual couples."

"What about Hannah and Ingrid?" Tyler asked, "Or Shane and Joey?"

"They cannot attend either, I am afraid." The principal said, "There is an _alternative_ prom they could attend, though."

"You mean the prom for the disabled kids," Troye said, "We're not stupid. We don't hate the disabled kids, either, but we'd rather be with our own peer group than kids we don't know."

"Just- don't question it!" The principal nearly shouted.

"Quite the contrary," Phil said, walking into the room and holding Dan's hand, "Question everything. Question why and how and who. That's how progress is made."

The two had become quite inseparable and had drawn the two different groups together- the punks and the outcasts. Tyler and Joey joined their little group and had become quite fond of expressing themselves, Joey growing the confidence to paint his nails and Tyler dying his hair silver.

"This cannot be changed, I'm sorry," The principal said with certainty, "You cannot attend prom as couples."

"I'm sorry," Hannah said, joining the party, "Ingrid and I are very happy, thank you very much. We would appreciate the ability to join the celebration of something _we helped create_." She reminded the principal gently of how she and Ingrid were the fronts of the decorating and food committees.

"We understand and appreciate your work-"

"Really? Because I won't even get to drink the punch I ordered." Hannah said coolly. A distant _"Ooh, snap!"_ could be heard.

"Fine- fine," The principal sighed in defeat, "This is too much. You can attend, but don't expect any help when you get bullied for your choice in partners."

"First, being gay is not a choice," Phil said, "And second, if anybody's made a bad choice, it's you."

.o0o.

Prom was amazing. Nobody teased Dan or Phil or Tyler or Troye or Hannah or Ingrid or Joey or Shane- Sam Pepper had been expelled and Connor had come out of the closet, so there were no leaders of the gang of bullies.

.o0o.

Phil graduated valedictorian.

"Hey guys," Phil smiled into the audience, "So, I have a story. A story about me and a boy, and his little group of misfits." Phil recounted every adventure he and Dan had had throughout their one year together- excluding, of course, some of the more intimate moments.

"Truth be told, I've had this tattoo for way longer than was legal," Phil admitted, "But it just goes to show that it doesn't matter what walk of life you come from- you can still be a genius. I hope that each and every one of us makes it out okay. I know, a long time ago, Troye Sivan Mellet wrote a song for us. A song that was originally for the boy in the dark hoodie, the boy with the ocean eyes, and the boy with the brightest smile," Phil referred to each of the original three. Troye's voice, on cue, rang throughout the courtyard.

_"The house of cards has fallen down. I've never had much faith that everything would be okay. But now that you're here, oh now that you're here, I have none at all."_ Troye's voice sounded ethereal when Dan's joined, _"Outcast, banished, almost broken. Some day we'll make lots of noise. Glory, glory, hallelujah! It's the March Of The Misfit Toys."_

Phil swayed in time to the beat. He had organized the slideshow of his time in school- a collection of pictures of nearly everybody from Jenna Marbles to Jamie Cullier.

"That's all, goodbye!" Phil said, almost sadly, and almost happily. The mass of people cheered for Phil- for the whole year. A fantastic year, full of fantastic people.

.o0o.

"Goodbyes are always hard," Dan whimpered. Phil was leaving for college.

"Then maybe it won't be a goodbye?" Phil suggested. Both boys were clinging to one another like their lives depended on it.

"Then what would it possibly be?" Dan pondered.

"A see you later," Phil said, cupping Dan's chin and bringing it up towards his own.

"See you later," Dan sighed as Phil marched towards his degree in English.

.o0o.

"See you later!" Dan said as Troye left for tour- Tyler in tow, of course, as the two couldn't have been separated by a rampaging tornado.

.o0o.

"See you later," Dan said, hugging Shane as he moved away to California with Joey.

.o0o.

_See you later,_ Dan thought as he, too, went on to become a drama major (an _actor_ , not someone who starts drama for a living).

.o0o.

"Sorry!" Dan yelped as his cart crashed into another's at the store. He looked up and saw a shade of blue he'd only dreamed about.

"Phil?" Dan gasped.

"Dan?" Phil did the same. The two ran to meet and collided in a kiss that was surprisingly gentle.

"You didn't call," Dan whimpered.

"I meant to, I did," Phil apologized, "I dropped my phone down a gutter."

"Oh," Dan chuckled, "I thought you didn't want anything to do with me."

"What?" Phil asked, "No way. Where are Troye and the others nowadays?"

"Troye's on tour, he stops by every once in a while to catch up." Dan supplied, "Tyler travels with him. He's a YouTuber. Shane moved to LA with Joey, and they've gotten married-"

"How come I wasn't invited?" Phil asked.

"You were." Dan said, "You never showed."

"Oh, wow," Phil said, "I don't think I got the invite. I must've looked like the biggest asshat."

"You did," Dan assured, "And then there's me. I went into college looking to be an actor, and left it a botanist. Yep, I sell plants for a living."

"Y'know, I had like fifty house plants in my flat," Phil recollected, "Drove my flatmate insane." Dan chortled at this.

"Do we pick up where we left off?" Dan asked. Phil just nodded. The two fell into an easy rhythm and soon both had what they were looking for. And each other, which was a huge bonus.

"Do you want to come over to my place?" Dan offered. Phil nodded in a sort of, 'sure,' gesture, and Dan drove both twenty-eight year-olds back to his apartment.

Phil meant to leave after that night. He just never did.

Dan meant to let Phil leave after that night. Phil never asked.

And that's the way it stayed.


End file.
